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It amazes me how ignorant we all have been made to be by the food industry–enough to become addicted, overweight and obese.

I see people think it is normal to scarf down a huge sandwich, burrito, sub sandwich, etc. and even with a bag of chips or French Fries. Many of these people are women, small men and many of them are not eating in preparation for a marathon. They are eating this way because it has become the norm to scarf down large portions and carbs.

I went to a deli recently, and the size of the food is outrageous. People are not sharing, they are eating the whole thing. I know a 5″2 woman who was eating large Chipotle burritos and having a bag of chips too. Is there any wonder why she was over 50 pounds overweight?

If you keep in mind to keep your portions down and your carbs to between 50 and 100g a day to keep slim and to lose weight, then you have to make a lifestyle change and get off of the crazy train of bad eating habits. You have succumbed to modern eating and it is bad for you, and good for the food industry. You have been conned. Don’t let them win. You are the one who doesn’t fit into nice clothing and you are the one to suffer from medical problems.

Chipotle uses a nutritional calculator on their site, where you build a meal of your choice and you can see what you are eating. For example, the burrito shell is 46g of carbs ALONE. Rice is an extra 34g of carbs. Beans are 22g of carbs. You put ALL of that together before you add the vegetables and protein (which have hardly any carbs), you are at 102g of carbs. You will gain weight that day. I always have the salad bowl with no rice and beans and it is about 8g of carbs. See the difference?

You have to stop letting your body crave beans, rice, flour, corn…….all high in carbs and will be doing crazy things to your blood sugar. Otherwise, the food industry wins and you LOSE. We have the internet, use it and look up what you are eating. Stop living in denial. Be informed.

P.S. A bag of Chipotle chips with NO guac is 72g of carbs and has no nutritional use. YUM??

Cutting most of both items out of the diet turned out to be miserable. Which is better?

“The answer is probably “neither.” Completely eliminating anything from one’s diet — whether it be sugar, or fat, or even meat — isn’t necessarily the way to end up with a more fit physique.

A balanced diet, which includes fruits, veggies, proteins, and good carbohydrates will put you on the right track better than eliminating any certain food group.”

If you want to lose weight it will be much easier if you avoid processed foods made with sugar and fat. These foods affect your brain in a completely different way from natural foods and it’s hard for anyone to resist eating too much. And any diet that eliminates fat or sugar will be unpalatable, hard to sustain and probably be bad for your health, too.”

You can have a decent amount of healthy carbs in 50g to 100g of carbs per day is enough for the human body. If you increase that amount, you will not lose weight and you will gain weight. Stick with fruits, vegetables, and proteins. Stay away from starches and wheat products and you will do great. As it is, fruit and vegetables have enough carbs in them. You can also have nuts and watch the carbs in those too. Pasta and bread is not necessary in a diet and doesn’t help you lose weight. And eat healthy fats like in oil, proteins and avocados. A Mediterranean or Paleo diet allows or it and those diets work!

Like this:

I know this lovely woman, she works at a store that I go to on Fridays and we have talked. She said she wanted to lose weight, so I shared my diet with her. I saw her a couple of weeks later and she told me that she didn’t lose any weight. I told her she wasn’t following the rules. She declared that she was, but then pulled a bag of dates out of her pocket and said that she eats them throughout the day.

DATES ARE NOT ON THE DIET and NOT PART OF THE RULES. One date is about 18g of carbs EACH! Imagine if she is eating 10 a day! That is 180g of carbs. Dates have good vitamins in them, but they are also HIGH in sugar.

You have to follow the rules.

You can have 6 proteins a day (low-carb, and watch how many carbs are in each one because you should not have more than 50-100g per day). This means eggs, meat (including bacon and sausage), low-fat cheese, low-carb yogurt or cottage cheese, no sugar added and measured out ice cream, measured-out nuts (look on the side of the jar for carb info–but be careful to not have too many because nuts have carbs), protein bars that are low-carb, like Power Crunch bars or have some carbs, but are high in fiber, like Quest bars (all of these are available online at places like Vitacost.com or you can get them at Smart and Final.

You can have fruit, but measured out to a small portion of fruit, twice a day. Some fruits are higher in carbs than others. Berries and citrus are the lowest. Bananas are high.

You can have four small servings of vegetables, but not starchy ones. If you choose to do carrots, it has to be a very small serving. I stay away from potatoes when I want to lose weight and basically most of the time. I only indulge in a potato skin here and there if my weight is stable and I am good with my carbs all day.

Two small salads a day. (You can put your vegetable servings in and even protein portions to make the salad a filling experience).

No dried fruits (NO DATES)

If you put milk in your coffee, it counts as protein. I do half and half or powdered cream instead.

Adding sugar or honey adds calories. Don’t do it.

If you have a hankering for chocolate, you can do a piece of low-carb or get chocolate low-carb chocolate protein products that you see at Lindora.com, Carbessentials.net or Netrition.com, etc. There are crackers, bars, puddings, hot chocolate, etc. This place has the best Belgium low-sugar and carb chocolate on the market. http://www.amberlynchocolates.com/

Like this:

Everyone is using coconut oil for everything now. Internally and externally–it moisturizes skin, is used in cooking, etc and it is great for dieting (NO CARBS)!

It’s a powerful destroyer of all kinds of microbes, from viruses to bacteria to protozoa, many of which can be harmful, and provides your body with high-quality fat that is critical for optimal health.

Coconut oil is easy on your digestive system and does not produce an insulin spike in your bloodstream, so for a quick energy boost, you could simply eat a spoonful of coconut oil, or add it to your food. oil into your diet, you can add it to your tea or coffee, in lieu of a sweetener. It will also help improve absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, so taking a spoonful of coconut oil along with your daily vitamins may help boost their effectiveness.

Coconut oil is ideal for all sorts of cooking and baking, as it can withstand higher temperatures without being damaged like many other oils (olive oil, for example, should not be used for cooking for this reason).

Furthermore, coconut oil does not go rancid, which is a huge boon when you’re making homemade concoctions. Coconut oil that has been kept at room temperature for a year has been tested for rancidity, and showed no evidence of it. Since you would expect the small percentage of unsaturated oils naturally contained in coconut oil to become rancid, it seems that the other (saturated) oils have a powerful antioxidant effect.

It can help you lose weight as it can kill sugar cravings.

You can eat it directly from the jar after lunch. Or I mix it with a little raw cacao powder to make the simplest chocolate snack on the planet.

How can it kill sugar cravings? Coconut oil is made up of medium-chain fatty acids, or medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). These fatty acids produce a host of health benefits. But, your body sends medium-chain fatty acids straight to your liver to use as energy. This means coconut oil is a source of instant energy, much like sugar and other simple carbohydrates. But although both deliver quick energy to your body, unlike the carbohydrates, coconut oil does not produce an insulin spike in your bloodstream. This saves you from a slump, and is really good news for anyone struggling with insulin spike issues.

After two tablespoons you not hungry for about four hours.

And bonus: it helps you lose weight!

Again, it’s the medium-chain fatty acids. Most plant oils are made up of longer chain fat triglycerides (LCTs). LCTs are typically stored in the body as fat; MCTs are transported directly to the liver, promoting “thermogenesis” which increases the body’s metabolism. Studies shows that by eating two tablespoons of coconut oil with a meal, body temperature rises, boosting metabolism. Plus, MCTs are not easily converted into stored triglycerides and cannot be readily used by the body to make larger fat molecules.

Here are a couple of different recipes using chocolate and coconut oil for a low-carb diet:

Starting this week, Girl Scout Cookies will be out! You will see the troops out in force, selling their cookies all through February. Yes, it is for a good cause, but basically, Girl Scout cookies are not good for you. They are made primarily from a combination of refined white flour, sweeteners, and oil, they offer little nutritional goodness. No preservatives are used in any Girl Scout cookies. But high-fructose corn syrup is in some of the recipes.

For years, the Girl Scouts has raised money for itself largely through cookie sales. Over the years, as waistlines have expanded and obesity rates have risen, the Girl Scouts have required its bakers to keep one healthier cookie in the lineup.

This year they have added Mango Cremes to the lineup. The vanilla and coconut sandwich cookies have a mango creme-flavored filling. But, they are still fattening.

All of the Girl Scout cookies are trans-fat-free per serving, in accordance with FDA guidelines, and many are 100% trans-fat-free. (trans fats are deadly enough that even the FDA said that it needs to be outlawed.

And, zero trans fat does not necessarily mean no trans fat. The FDA allows products to say they have “zero trans fat” if they have less than half a gram of trans fat per serving. Only when a box claims it is 100% trans-fat free does it mean there is really no trans fat in the cookies.

If you eat four Girl Scout cookies that contain trans fats, you could exceed the 2010 Dietary Guideline limit of 1 gram per day.

They are about 5g of carbs per cookie. If you could just eat one or two and then give away the rest, that would be ok…but many people order them and eat the whole box. Girl Scout Cookies are NOT good for the waistline or your health. I would rather have something that has less sugar and still tastes good.

MY SOLUTION:

Power Crunch (Smart and Final, Trader Joes or online at places like Vitacost.com) make delish low-carb, high protein wafer bars that taste like good cookies. There are Quest bars too. They are tasty, filling and won’t make you fat if eaten as part of your 6 protein meals a day.

If we skip breakfast, we’ll make unhealthy choices at lunch. People who skip breakfast eat more during the day. Your breakfast can set off a cycle of cravings and blood sugar spikes that dooms for weight control. Better to start the day with stable blood sugar and ultimately fewer calories with breakfast.

I, personally, never leave the house without first having my coffee and eggs, or omelette or hard-boiled egg with either some bacon or turkey sausage. Otherwise, it makes me cranky and want to scarf my next meal and ruin my diet.

Breakfast Calories: What to Eat

You may have to find your perfect breakfast food through a trial and error process. It’s fine if you prefer a small turkey sandwich or a hard-boiled egg to traditional breakfast foods.

Consider whole grains. Whole grains are a good choice because they keep you feeling full, according to a dietary study that compared feelings of satisfaction between people who ate a hot whole-grain cereal for breakfast and those who ate refined wheat bread. Those who ate the whole-grain breakfast reported feeling less hungry over the following eight hours than the comparison group.

However, the issue with whole grains and oatmeal is that it has a lot of carbs. You have to read the label and determine how much to serve yourself to keep yourself in the realm of 50 to 100 grams of carbs per day, to lose weight. Less than a cup of oatmeal or having a slice of whole grain bread, only three times a week is an option.

Opt for eggs. A study of people between the ages of 25 and 60 who were trying to lose weight found that those who ate two eggs for breakfast lost 65 percent more weight than those who ate bagels, and they also reported having higher energy levels throughout the day. Ask your doctor about egg-white alternatives.

Avoid high-sugar choices. Eating doughnuts, breakfast pastries, and sugary cereals may begin that cycle of cravings and blood sugar lows that can undermine your efforts. And there are too many carbs in them to be considered a good choice for weight control.

First thing in the AM

When you first wake up in the morning, if you are not a breakfast person, but you can eat two hours later, that’s fine. Have a little yogurt, a little bit of peanut butter on some gluten-free bread (look at carbs), or a low-carb protein bar. It doesn’t have to be traditional breakfast foods.

Planning

Once you find the breakfast options that suit your diet and your taste buds, plan ahead so that these foods are on hand when you want them — and you can get and keep a healthy habit that will last a lifetime.

WebMD has a great quiz that you can take to see if you know what to eat or do lose weight. I suggest that you take it. Then, read what my thoughts about the answers here. The following are the easiest tips to lose weight! Make it a part of your lifestyle.

1. Sleep. There are studies that show that if you don’t get enough sleep, then your body feels sluggish and wants more calories and food to keep going. You need to get a full night’s sleep, as much as possible, to keep your weight down. And if you think about it, this is the easiest part of a diet.

2. Water. This is the second easiest part of a diet. Carry a water bottle around with you. If you just hate the taste of plain water, you can either get sparkling water, really good bottled water (some taste better than others) you can keep it cold because sometimes cold water is better than room temperature, or you can buy one of many different low-calorie flavor pouches or drops, to drop into the water to make it taste like cherry, lemonade, etc. And you must drink before every meal so that you feel full before you scarf down your lunch. Water also helps with improved metabolism.

3. Eat meals slowly. This is the third easiest thing you can do to lose weight. It takes about 15-20 minutes to get your brain to recognize that your stomach is happy. So, if you eat slowly, then you will more likely eat less food on your plate.

4. Use smaller plates for smaller portions. Out of sight, out of mind. Use smaller plates and put smaller portions of food on your plate so that you will eat less. If you drink your water first and eat slowly, this will not be an issue for you at all. You need portion control on a diet (and to remember that you are eating 6 small protein meals a day–four small servings of veggies per day and two small servings of fruits per day).

5. Weigh yourself minimally once a week. Come on, that is so easy! You need to do this so that you can psychologically be aware of what you are doing right or wrong and make adjustments accordingly.

6. Eat unsaturated fats! Yes, you heard that right. Fats are good for the body, but is the type that matters. Fat can help you feel full after eating, which may curb your desire for seconds or dessert. Your body needs some dietary fat to function. Less than 10% of your calories should come from saturated fats, say government dietary guidelines. Replace butter and processed foods with more healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, like olive oil, cold water fish, tofu, avocado, and small amounts of nuts. But watch the portion control on that! Consider the fish, tofu and nuts as one of your protein replacements, use oil sparingly and eat a small portion of avocado as one of your fruits for the day.

7. Don’t skip meals. Don’t tell me that it is hard to eat! If you eat too much at lunch, but then skip dinner to make up for it, that is counter productive because your metabolism slows by not having consistent nutrition. So, if you over do a meal, then drink a lot of water and eat a small low-carb protein meal for dinner.

8. Plan meals in advance. Not too hard. Use a diet book like Lean For Life to get some examples of planned meals and start planning in advance so you don’t accidentally eat more than you should in a day or the wrong things. You should also keep a food diary you can see what you are doing and if you gain weight, you can go back and figure out where you are going wrong.

9. Eat good carbs! Hard? Nah, you have to learn what carbs are ok to eat. Your body needs this important fuel to work. It’s healthiest to ditch carbs from non-diet sodas and junk food and animal fats, while still eating some carbs from whole grains, fruits, and veggies. I personally stick to the carbs in fruits and veggies and limit my whole grain intake. But eating white flour products=bad carbs.

10. Don’t completely ban bad foods! Studies shows that limiting food choices doesn’t help people lose weight. What does work is a diet that includes your own food choices. Just eat high-calorie faves less often, in small amounts, or in lower-calorie versions. Carbessentials and Netrition are online and have diet versions of many tasty things from maple syrup and pancake mix to chocolate items. I also eat Carbolite at my neighborhood frozen yogurt shop because it is a low-calorie and low-carb version of ice cream or frozen yogurt. Also Dreyers and Breyers have no sugar added ice cream that is really good and low carb. Just have one small cup of it and use it as a protein replacement out of your 6 proteins per day (spaced out ever 3-4 hours).

Of the top three diets, rated by U.S. News & World Report’s, one of the best diets (still) is the Mediterranean diet. My diet is similar to that diet. (Other two is the DASH diet and Weight Watchers)

What is the difference between the Mediterranean Diet and mine??

The Mediterranean diet looks like this:

I also eat mostly just these things. I watch legumes and nuts because of the carbs, but if you count the carbs that you are eating, you can do it. I have written out what the Mediterranean rules are and my thoughts and differences are in bold type.

Limiting red meat to no more than a few times a month (Similar in that I stick with poultry or pork)

Eating fish and poultry at least twice a week

Drinking red wine in moderation (optional) (I usually don’t because I would rather have the carbs elsewhere, but you can if you count carbs and if you are trying to lose weight, alcohol slows down the fat-burning process. You might want to limit it immensely until you are hitting goal.)

The diet also recognizes the importance of being physically active, and enjoying meals with family and friends. (I do this too)

The Mediterranean diet traditionally includes fruits, vegetables and grains. For example, residents of Greece average six or more servings a day of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables.(My diet has two servings of veggies twice a day and one serving of fruit twice a day.)

Grains in the Mediterranean region are typically whole grain and usually contain very few unhealthy trans fats, and bread is an important part of the diet. However, throughout the Mediterranean region, bread is eaten plain or dipped in olive oil — not eaten with butter or margarine, which contains saturated or trans fats. (They eat it in small amounts though! I have mostly given up on breads. Most here are not whole grain, have gluten and are stuffed full of preservatives and artificial ingredients, which don’t agree with my body and I can’t lose weight and I gain weight when I eat them. Once in a while, I have a Perfect 10 Western Bagel because it is only 10g of net carbs)

Nuts are another part of a healthy Mediterranean diet. Nuts are high in fat, but most of the fat is healthy. Because nuts are high in calories, they should not be eaten in large amounts — generally no more than a handful a day. (I do this!) For the best nutrition, avoid candied or honey-roasted and heavily salted nuts.

Sweets are in LIMITED doses! (that is what we are doing wrong in a western diet. People want sweets daily!)

This diet works and so does mine. A difference as well, is that I eat my proteins 6 times a day and they are measured out, mostly 4 ounces each and about 3 ounces for beef. I space it out to every 3-4 hours. Never let yourself get too hungry. Keep refueling. My way is a little more rigid, but it works.

Try this out! It is not just a diet, it is a lifestyle. And you are less prone to diseases as you age.